


The One Where Everyone Forgot Steve

by zombified419



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-15
Updated: 2014-10-15
Packaged: 2018-02-21 06:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2457830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombified419/pseuds/zombified419
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Steve's birthday, so of course Tony becomes fixated on each Avengers' age. Too bad Natasha doesn't want to spill and Loki really could care less - until some rather unsavory names are slung around. [FrostIron]</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Where Everyone Forgot Steve

* * *

"So what are we _doing_?" Tony asked, clapping his hands together. He looked out across the table, eyes resting on each one of his teammates. Natasha and Clint simply stared back while Thor was oddly fixated with something on the ceiling; at least Bruce had the decency to appear thoughtful.

"I do believe _you_ compiled _us_." Tony rolled his eyes; having a snarky boyfriend that could vocally spar back with him had its perks, but this was serious business, dammit.

"The word is ' _Assembled_ ', sweetie," Tony shot back. "Also, it's in the next drawer."

Loki paused, glaring at his mortal. He had been hunting in the kitchen for something for Tony, having already grown bored with the conversation - or lack there of, really. He merely blinked, slowly shutting the cupboard he had been looking in, and never looked away from Tony. A weaker man would have apologized for the correction; Tony wasn't a weak man. He just smirked, all teeth and cheek and charm - stupid wasn't a synonym for weak, was it?

" _Moving on_ ," Natasha said, rolling her eyes. Loki slowly turned away to open the drawer Tony had instructed, and Tony turned his shit eating grin to her. "This is _important_."

"My point _exactly_!" Tony answered, slapping his palm onto the table. "But what do we _do_?"

"I was informed you to be a _clever_ lot," Loki drawled, dropping the pack of cookies unceremoniously before Tony and sitting beside him. "Present company aside, _of course_."

Tony mock laughed while Clint and Thor broke into loud chortles. Loki smirked.

"Obviously there will be a party," Bruce cut in, shooting a glare at the god. Only Bruce seemed brazen enough to challenge Loki. Tony gave him serious props - even Natasha wouldn't overstep, and she and Loki had become somewhat friends. It was because Bruce was important to Tony; or maybe he just didn't want to get squished into the floor again, but whatever.

"Okay, so that will be all of us here," Tony said around a mouthful of cookies. He heard Loki snort but ignored it. "And Fury, Coulson, Pepper, maybe Maria; maybe even that Sam dude he's been hanging out with lately. But that's only, what, like _eleven_ people?"

"I may bring Lady Jane," Thor said, head still tilted up.

"Good to hear you are still with us," Loki drawled. Thor looked over, suddenly confused.

"So twelve now," Tony said. "This is fucking _hard_."

"It's a shame we can't brainwash Bucky to be his pal again - then we can just leave everything to him," Clint grumbled. Natasha punched his arm, which he rubbed quickly. "Ow, _what_?"

" _Not cool_ ," she hissed. He rolled his eyes and moved into the kitchen.

"Whatever, it was a _joke_. How old is he going to be, anyway?" Clint called, pulling out a bag of popcorn and tossing it into the microwave.

"The file says ninety-nine," Tony answered. He grabbed Loki's mug from his hands and took a quick swig. Loki always had the perfect temperature for hot tea. Loki huffed and stood, moving to get another cup for himself.

Bruce may attempt to cut the god off mid-speech, but only Tony could get away with stealing his tea. During his stay, Loki had discovered tea to be his favourite Midgardian beverage and prized his cups above most else. Only Tony knew it was because it reminded Loki of something Frigga would make him as a child. Just another way for Loki to show his love and make Tony all tingly.

"That makes me feel old as _hell_ ," Bruce chuckled, shaking his head. "That serum did wonders for him."

"I do not understand," Thor said, looking at Bruce. Tony rolled his eyes and grinned behind his hand - trying to explain science to Thor was like trying to teach Clint manners, and that was _never_ going to happen.

"When Steve was younger, he was given a special medicine to halt his aging, give him super strength, ridiculously boost his metabolism; among other benefits, of course," Bruce answered. "He's older in year than all of us, but his body doesn't show it."

"He is as we, brother?" Thor asked, looking for Loki. The younger god was pouring water into a new mug and tracing small circles along the rim, heating the water slowly with magic.

"No, he is still mortal," Loki answered. Several kitchen utensils began pouring honey and cream into the brew with a flick of his wrist as he turned towards them. He folded his arms across his chest while the kitchen milled around behind him. "It is as if magic were healing his body of age each day, as the Apples do, but it will not last forever."

Thor nodded, seeming to now understand. Tony blinked, looking over at his sexy sorcerer boyfriend who had now turned back to his fresh mug. Loki was still amazing to him; each day he discovered something new and exciting, and he loved feeling like he lived in a Harry Potter novel.

"So he's a grumpy old man who outlived all of his friends," Clint said. He drew Loki's attention, and that's when they both noticed they were standing far too close in the large kitchen. Loki didn't move, but Clint snatched out his popcorn and moved back to the table. "What do we do about it?" He finished, offering Natasha a handful.

"Invite his current friends and hope for the best," she answered, scooping her own kernels.

"Allow Thor to plan - although a cleaning crew may be wise as well," Loki said, settling back to his seat. The kitchen cleaned itself with a wave of his hand as he took his first sip. Tony knew it was perfect from the slow breath the god released, and he was already plotting when he would be stealing it (his cup was now empty, so he needed a new one).

Thor began to protest: " _Brother_! That was only - "

"Yes, only _every time_ food and drink were consumed while you were involved," Loki injected.

"Guys, rope it in," Natasha sighed. "He can only pass Sam so many times before he pities the guy. So we have a plan, people - now place."

"Easy; _here_. Next," Tony answered, throwing his arm around the top of Loki's chair. "I'll also arrange a caterer, so there's food. Open bar, obviously. You know what, let's just invite S.H.I.E.L.D. as a whole. Why the hell not?"

"Yes, Tony - let's put _literally_ every important person to National Security in one location at the same time and throw in _booze_ ," Clint scoffed. "Nothing bad would _ever_ happen."

"Hey, Happy's got this. Besides, just because _you_ can't handle your liquor doesn't mean the rest of us can't," he shot back.

"Well, it _would_ fill out the space," Bruce nodded.

"And everyone _loves_ Steve," Natasha agreed. Clint just shook his head with a heavy sigh.

" _Whatever_ ," he grumbled, shoving more popcorn into his mouth.

"Cool, so his birthday is planned!" Tony grinned. "Well, since we totally skimmed it I really want to know now. So, Captain is the oldest out of us - who's the youngest?"

Thor began to laugh. "Brother, do you recall when we were concerned for age? Even Father cares not!"

"The benefits of being gods, Thor," Loki smirked. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Okay, _fine_ \- Thor is the oldest, followed by _your_ prissy ass," he said, pointing at them both. Loki rolled his eyes and took a sip of his tea.

"Would you care for the number?" He offered, which caught everyone's attention.

"Spill, pretty boy," Clint said. Tony shot him a glare for Loki, but the god merely smirked.

"Good to hear you have learned some _manners_ , Barton," he drawled. "Thor?"

"I, as the Allfather's first born, am now nearing my twelve thousandth year," Thor answered proudly. Bruce and Clint's jaws both dropped as Natasha and Tony exchanged complete looks of disbelief.

"You said Thor was older, right?" Tony asked Loki, who nodded.

"He is scarcely two hundred years older," Loki answered. "But in this instance, age does not grant _wisdom_."

"Nor wit, brother," Thor chuckled.

" _Oookay_ , so Thor wins," Clint said, tossing popcorn up over the god's head. Thor grinned, flicking off a few kernels.

"Damn, _wow_ ," Tony said with a whistle. Bruce took off his glasses and began to clean them, shaking his head with a chuckle. "So Point Break, Loki, then Capsicle - "

"Me next," Bruce sighed, putting his glasses back on. "I'm turning forty-five this year."

"What? You don't look a day over twenty, Brucey!" Tony grinned, but the doctor waved him off.

"Flattery, Tony," he chuckled. "Then it's you, right, Clint?"

All eyes turned to the archer, making the man fidget. "What does it matter?" He said, dodging the question.

"Because I said so, so answer," Tony said, leaning forward.

"I'm middle aged."

"With a _number_."

"Fuck you, Stark," Clint said, flipping Tony the bird.

"Ask Loki first, but you can still answer the question," Tony shot back cheekily.

"He turned forty this year," Natasha chimed in. Clint spun on her, eyes wide.

"What the _hell_ , Tasha?!" He hissed. She shrugged.

"You were drawing it out too much."

"Fine, then _you_ answer!" He shot back. She glared at him, eyes narrowing dangerously.

" _Stark_ hasn't answered," she snapped. Tony shrugged.

"Please, everyone knows I'm thirty-eight. I'm an open book," the genius grinned. "So what's the digits, Tasha?"

The spy frowned, her lips tightening. "You all _do_ know asking a lady her age is rude, _correct_?"

"I'll keep it in mind for when I meet one," Tony answered. Natasha glared daggers before spinning from her seat to stand. No one made a move to stop her as she headed for the elevator.

"Hey guys!" Oh, poor Steve with his awful timing. The soldier stepped around the corner just as Natasha stormed off, leaving the man confused. "Woah, what did I miss?"

"Just the new episode of ' _The Walking Dead_ '," Tony chimed, standing up. Clint laughed from where he had been trying to toss popcorn into Thor's mouth. Steve frowned but shrugged, heading for the fridge.

"Well. I have some work to do so I'll catch you guys later," Tony said. An errand kernel went over Thor's head and bounced off of Loki's nose. The god paused with what he was about to say and turned towards the other two, which gave Tony just enough time to scoop up his new cup of tea and duck for the elevator. He would have to thank Clint later - the archer had caught Tony eyeing his boyfriend's mug the entire conversation. Hawkeye doesn't just _miss_ , after all.

Tony knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help himself. Natasha had no reason to be ashamed of her age because she looked the best out of all of them and would kill them were they to say anything other than supportive anyway. Still, he just wanted to _know_.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had an odd encryption over all of Natasha's files. Tony had been a little surprised, but it wasn't a deterrent. JARVIS was enjoying the challenge as well, and it brought him back to the good days when he would just hack into Fury's computers for the hell of it. Speaking of which, he did still have the Halloween themed program he needed to try out while he was there.

Tony was so immersed he completely missed Loki dropping in for a visit. Loki knew how he got when he was distracted, and it was only during those few times would Loki be able to set aside his own annoyance at being ignored to do something uncharacteristic. Every time it happened, though, Tony always savored it. This time, it was in the form of a fresh mug of Loki's tea steaming next to a plate of heated chocolate chip cookies. Tony would have missed it completely had he not felt a cool kiss pressed to his temple. Damn he loved that man.

Half a plate down and seven hours later, all of Natasha's files were laid out before him. Tony blinked - he had no interest in invading his friend's privacy, so he stuck with only reading the scan of the Russian birth certificate.

"Loki, _LOKI_!" He shouted, launching from his chair and heading for the elevator. The god met him there in a blink.

"Silence, Stark. Use your _words_ ," he snapped. Tony knew from his mood and the general disgruntled appearance that Loki had been sleeping, and he immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry I woke you, baby," Tony whispered, running a hand through Loki's sleep tossed hair and scratching his scalp. Loki hummed, eyes sliding closed, as he leaned into the touch. "This is just _awesome_."

"What?" Loki mumbled. Tony moved both hands to cup Loki's cheeks and pulled him into a chaste kiss.

"You'll see," he answered, tone still light. He pulled Loki into the elevator. JARVIS took them to the communal floor; the closer they came to the floor, the more the smell of bacon reminded Tony that he was really fucking hungry. Bacon also meant breakfast, which told Tony he had worked all through the night - _again_.

"You _will_ be making this up to me, Anthony," Loki mumbled beside him, now slightly more awake. He had smoothed down his hair and stood straighter beside him. "I was forced to sleep alone."

"I was going to thank you for the tea and cookies anyway," Tony answered with a wink. He caught a slight shift in Loki's posture and knew he got a blush from the god.

"Silence," Loki answered as the door opened. They walked forward, Tony suddenly bursting with energy again, and took the corner to the kitchen. Bruce was flipping bacon on the built in flat top with every one else seated at the table.

"Woah, how are you two up before noon?" Clint asked, sipping his coffee.

"Didn't sleep," Tony chirped, moving to grab a mug of coffee. Loki sank into a seat and sighed.

"And by default, nor did I," he said around a yawn. Clint snickered.

"Coffee, babe?" Tony asked.

"Certainly," Loki answered, resting his chin on his palm. When Tony was sitting beside Loki after grabbing coffee, he finally caught Natasha's gaze. She had pointedly been ignoring him, scribbling on Steve's abandoned crossword (he was so _old_ sometimes) from her seat beside the soldier. She just rolled her eyes when Tony grinned.

"So, thirty-nine, huh?" He asked as Bruce set out the bacon plate. The doctor paused for a moment before chuckling.

"Still on this, are we?" He grinned.

"You know how it gets," Clint answered with a chuckle.

"How did you find out?" Natasha demanded. Steve looked from Bruce to Clint to Loki, wanting any kind of help but, of course, receiving none.

" _This_ is what I was woken for?" Loki drawled.

"I have my ways," Tony said evasively, sipping from his mug.

"He hacked," Loki deadpanned. Tony huffed with mock hurt beside him.

"Loki! Don't tell _all_ my secrets," he whispered behind his hand.

"I can still hear you, _ass_!" Natasha snapped.

"I wasn't _trying_ to be quiet!"

"Where is Thor?" Loki asked, lowering his voice to Clint.

"Getting Jane," he answered as Bruce slid over a plate of scrambled eggs.

"Ah, that is today, then," Loki answered. Bruce nodded as he sat down.

"And you know how much fun it will be if _this_ keeps going," Bruce grinned.

"What's happening right now?" Steve asked; Natasha and Tony's shouting had increased, and the soldier was really lost. He had no idea what was happening but desperately wanted the arguing to stop.

"Nat wouldn't tell Tony her age so he hacked her files," Clint said, scooping some eggs and bacon onto a plate. He put it in front of Natasha, who continued to snap at Tony.

"You should have just _told_ us! What does it _matter_ , anyway?" Tony said, laughter finally getting the better of him. "You still look awesome!"

"He's right, Nat," Clint echoed, and Bruce nodded as well.

"It's just a number," the doctor answered. "I mean, look at Loki. He's older that the _country_ and he doesn't look a day over twenty-five."

"Oh my god, he's _right_ ," Tony gasped, looking over at his boyfriend. Loki raised a thin eyebrow.

"We covered this yesterday," he muttered, finishing the plate he had for Tony before getting one himself.

"But I'm the youngest now. That wasn't _known_ yesterday," Tony said, beginning to grin. "I'm the _baby_..."

"Tony, _no,_ " Bruce warned, seeing the path Tony's mind was taking.

"Loki, that _so_ makes you a cradle robber!" The genius exclaimed, laughing loudly. The table grew silent except for Tony's laughter. Natasha and Bruce exchanged glances while Steve face palmed - _of all days_...

"If he's a _cradle_ robber, then that makes _you_ a _grave_ robber!" Clint announced, effectively cutting off Tony's laugh.

"Uh, _what_?" Tony snapped, glaring at Clint. The archer continued to laugh, now holding his gut from the strain.

"Explain." All eyes cut to Loki, who had been rather silent during the entire exchange. Clint's laughs slowed and halted to a small cough. He kept his head down, shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"Yeah, Tony - _explain_ ," Natasha said, a smug smile on her face. Loki looked over at his boyfriend with an expectant expression. Tony chewed thoughtfully on a piece of crisp bacon.

" _Anthony_."

"What's up, babe?" Tony asked around his bacon.

"I am unamused," Loki said, tone low. His bright eyes were narrowed and searching, and Tony suddenly wasn't too keen on his joke.

"A cradle robber is someone who sleeps with those who are far too young for them, and a grave robber is one who steals bodies from graves. See the correlation?" Shit, oh _shit_. Tony gulped, his throat working to keep his bacon down. He glared daggers at Natasha from across the table while Loki was staring a hole in the side of his face.

Natasha stood up, smug smile still in place, as she dropped her plate in the sink. "Great breakfast, Bruce. I'll see you boys later." Her smile turned to a hearty smirk as she turned away from the kitchen. Tony continued to glare at her as Clint slowly sank under the table.

"Just so you know, _Nat_ , it's pretty hard to _breathe_ under this _fucking bus_!" He called.

"Oh, those _young_ lungs of yours will do just _fine_ ," she shot back, heading towards the elevator. Natasha paused with a hand on the wall. "And Steve?"

The soldier looked over at her quickly, suddenly extremely uncomfortable. "Yes?"

"Happy birthday," she said softly and smiled. Then she was gone, and Steve was left alone with Clint under the table, Tony breaking out into a cold sweat with a destructive Norse god working out a murder spell, and Bruce - which, for him, this was an everyday ordeal.

"Of all days..." Steve mumbled. Clint grazed his foot as he crawled away.

"Story of our lives," Bruce sighed, watching Clint grab a few strips of bacon from under the table.

"Loki, would it be too much to ask you to _not_ kill Tony today?" Steve asked, setting his fork down. Tony's throat worked as Loki turned his icy glare to Steve.

"Under what pretenses?" He asked darkly.

"Because he's just an idiot and you know that," Steve answered.

"He's right; I'm so fucking stupid and it was a dumb joke," Tony added. Loki looked back at him for a moment before rising from the table.

"I believe you were to compensate for waking me earlier," Loki drawled. He waved his hand and both of their plates were in the sink. "Consider your sentence much more _severe_." Tony was on his feet in a second flat and scrambling after Loki towards the elevator. Bruce shook his head.

"That can't be _healthy_ ," he muttered. Steve nodded, spearing his now cold eggs.

"Well, I guess I'll head for my running," Steve sighed as he stood up.

"Don't forget - we're all taking you to dinner tonight, so be back around seven," Bruce said. Steve nodded and dropped his plate into the sink before leaving the kitchen.

Hours later, after Clint had calmed down Natasha and Tony had happily served his 'sentence', they came back together on the communal floor. Steve had long since left, and because of the argument over breakfast they didn't expect him until later in the evening. Tony called Pepper to arrange the caterer and book the DJ.

"A DJ, _seriously_?" Natasha scoffed.

"Yes, _seriously_ ," Tony snapped. "And I'm not having them turn the volume down for you, _crone_."

Loki decided he would sit that fight out, instead watching from the kitchen as Natasha came across the top of the couch and tackled Tony to his knees. He could really only protect Tony for so long when his mouth was involved. Clint shook his head from where he had been standing next to Loki.

"Those two, right?" Clint teased, jerking a thumb in their direction. Loki turned to look over at Clint slowly.

"Do not _speak_ to me," he answered. "I have not forgotten your jest from earlier."

Clint took a step away as quickly as he could. Loki settled back against the counter, smirking slightly.

"Guys, _seriously_!" Bruce called, stopping in the kitchen. "It's Steve's _birthday_ and you two are acting like _idiots_." He started to walk towards the scuffle, pausing to look at Loki. The god nodded and followed him in, walking around behind where Natasha had pinned Tony on his back and was happily punching his jaw. Tony still wouldn't stop grinning, and when Loki latched an arm around Natasha's waist and pulled her back, he started laughing again. The spy struggled for a moment and managed to elbow Loki in his side. His grip only tightened, which finally calmed her down.

"Enough, m'lady," Loki muttered, and Natasha grew very still. Bruce had Tony sitting up and checked his pulse. "The idiot's state?" He called.

" _Hey_!" Tony protested, grin falling.

"He's fine. A few bruised ribs and a split lip, but that's it," Bruce called. Loki nodded and released Natasha to Clint before moving towards Tony.

"You really should play the fool far better," Loki muttered, taking the spot across from Bruce.

"But I get to have you save me," Tony grinned cheekily. Loki and Bruce shared a glance.

"On second thought, there _could_ have been some head trauma..." The doctor muttered. Loki rolled his eyes and smirked at Tony's squeaks of indignation. He ran his fingers lightly over Tony's ribs, pushing healing magic to each point he felt a variance. Finally he healed the split lip and pulled Tony to his feet. Bruce stood in the centre of the room, rubbing his eyes.

"This has gone on long enough. You two apologize, _now_ ," he said, tone exasperated.

"Yeah, we wasted so much time when we could have already been downstairs helping with the party!" Clint huffed, nudging Natasha's shoulder. "You two are better than this. Now hurry up."

Natasha glared daggers at Clint and frowned. Neither made a move or acted like they had even heard. Loki sighed and crossed his arms.

"As difficult as this may be," he began. Natasha kept her eyes glued to the carpet, but Tony shuffled. He always listened when Loki spoke. "Would you care for me to show you _my_ discipline, or would you rather ask Thor later?"

"Sorry I called you a crone," Tony blurted. Bruce grinned at Loki, who now wore a very smug smirk. "You look way better than me in a bikini any day, and it was a stupid joke."

"Wonderful, Anthony," Loki muttered, dropping a hand to his boyfriend's shoulder.

" _Fine_!" Natasha snapped. "I apologize for over reacting and elbowing Loki." She folded her arms over her chest. "But I _don't_ apologize for shoving your face into the carpet; it was a stupid joke."

"Totally," Tony agreed.

"Fair enough," Loki said, nodding his thanks to her.

"Okay, good. Now everyone get ready and head down. We need to help set up the party," Bruce said, checking his watch. They all split off, heading towards their floors. Loki teleported Tony away, depositing them in their shared room.

"You are a _fool_ ," Loki muttered, cupping Tony's face. "Of all these mortals who could kill you, you pick the most trained to _anger_."

"Hey, you know me, babe," Tony grinned, bumping his nose against Loki's. The god rolled his eyes and flicked Tony's ear.

"Dress," he commanded. "I shall be in the shower."

"Can I join?" Tony called, already pulling his shirt over his head.

"You most certainly may _not_ ," Loki chuckled. Tony frowned and leaned in the door frame. Loki had already stripped down to his lounge pants and was turning on the water.

"Uh, _why_?" Tony whined. Loki threw a coy smirk over his shoulder that went straight to Tony's groin.

"I took an elbow for you," Loki answered, running his thumbs along the waistband of the pants absently. "This is time for healing."

"You're fucking _indestructible_!" Tony grinned, eyes following those thumbs. He knew from experience that Loki did not wear underwear, and this was becoming far too drawn out. Seeing Loki haul Natasha away like it was nothing had gotten the genius rather turned on, and those damn hands weren't helping.

"I suppose you are correct," Loki sighed, hands resting on the jut of his hip bones. "Come along, then."

Tony grinned and surged forward, wrapping his arms around Loki's waist and crushing their lips together. Loki chuckled into the assault and waved his hand; the door closed quietly behind them.

Tony and Loki were the last to come to the party, of course. They found Bruce speaking to Pepper, both already dressed in the theme she had decided.

"So nice of you two to join," Pepper began, checking her watch. " _Two hours late._ "

"You know I'm _never_ on time," Tony grinned cheekily, wrapping an arm around Loki's waist. "So where are we?"

"Nearly ready," she said. "It's easier now that you're here and already dressed correctly."

"Hey I don't fuck up parties!" Tony answered defensively. Bruce chuckled, patting his friend's shoulder.

"That's true," the doctor grinned. Tony flashed a million-watt smile back with a thumbs up.

"You two look good in the full forties swing," he said. Pepper was dressed in a traditional blue skirt suit that stopped just above her knees, but she added her own flares with white gloves to match the white flower in her hair and black heels that were a little too high for the time period. Bruce wore a white dress shirt and tie under a navy sweater and tucked into high waisted pants.

"Actually, Brucey looks right at home," Tony grinned. The doctor flushed for a moment and cleared his throat.

"Well, I should have known you two would go with zoot suits," Bruce answered. Tony beamed, looking at Loki. He had dressed the god in a tight black waist coat and large white dress shirt folded back at the cuffs. The pants were baggy, but the entire ensemble was brought together with a fedora cocked devilishly to the side. Tony, on the other hand, looked like a damn gangster. He wore the suit, fedora, and even the large overcoat. He smirked back at Bruce.

"You know me," he said and winked. Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Damn, you guys look _awesome_ ," Clint said, coming up with Natasha. Clint was dressed similar to a factory worker, complete with the soft hat and suspenders, but far cleaner. Natasha wore a floor length yellow dress with all black accents - black gloves, heels, necklace, and beautiful cocktail hat adorned with feathers and a lace screen.

"You two don't look too shabby yourselves!" Tony whistled. He dropped his arm from Loki and offered his hand to Natasha. She eyed him for a moment before pulling her arm from Clint's and accepting. Tony gave a small bow and kissed the top of Natasha's hand, turning on his full charm.

"Again, I'm sorry for earlier," he said, squeezing her hand. The spy narrowed her eyes before smiling slightly.

"Me too," she answered and squeezed back. "Try to stay out of my business, Stark."

"Duly noted but no promises," Tony grinned. Natasha rolled her eyes and pulled her hand back, taking her spot back beside Clint. Tony chuckled and replaced his arm around Loki.

"So everything is nearly set up," Pepper said, checking her watch. "Fury and Coulson will be here in five minutes with the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. along with Sam, Thor, and Jane. Tony, Happy is on standby as well. I believe we have everything covered, and all before _eight_!"

The group shared a look. "Wait, did you say it's _eight_?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "My watch says eight." Pepper held her watch out for him to see. He was suddenly scrambling to check his own.

"Mine says it's almost seven!" Bruce announced. Tony looked at his watch as well.

"So does mine," he answered. "I left my cell upstairs. JARVIS!"

"Yes, sir?" The AI called. The only people left in the room outside of the Avengers and Pepper were the caterers; several of them paused and looked around, trying to find the source. Any other time, Tony would have openly laughed at them.

"What time is it, pal?" Tony called.

"8:09:43 post meridian eastern standard time, sir," JARVIS answered.

Tony smack his face and shook his head. "How the hell did that _happen_?!"

"How did we lose time like that?" Clint mused.

"Well, someone go _get_ him!" Bruce snapped. The doors behind them opened to Fury, Coulson and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents pouring in. Sam Wilson, Steve's newest friend, trotted up with Thor and Jane not too far behind.

"Hey, cool cats! Where's the birthday boy?" He grinned, clapping his hands together. They all turned their horrified expressions towards him, stopping the man in his tracks. "Uh, what did I miss?"

"We forgot _Steve_!" Clint breathed. "We fucking _forgot_ him!"

"I told him we would be there around seven to take him to dinner," Bruce muttered, covering his mouth.

"It's, like, after eight," Sam said.

"We _know_ , man! That poor dude has been waiting for an _hour_ ," Clint wailed. Loki sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I shall retrieve him," the god muttered, pulling away from Tony.

"Oh my god, babe. You're a life saver," Tony chuckled, kissing Loki's cheek. The god waved him off and disappeared.

"You guys are his damn _teammates_ and _forgot_ to get him for the party _you_ put together," Sam said, shaking his head. "That's just _sad_."

* * *


End file.
